The Swamp Fox, which weighed approximately 180 tons, was surveyed by an assessment crew before pumps were used to remove water from the vessel in an attempt to refloat the vessel. Ultimately, Swamp Fox was deemed unrecoverable and had to be demolished in place.

“The completion of the removal of the Swamp Fox illustrates the interagency partnerships that have been established across the state of Florida during this large scale response,” said Capt. Mark Hodges, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Incident Commander for Emergency Support Function 10 Florida. “The removal process is both time-consuming and intensive, requiring safety measures, the creation and implementation of planning procedures and the mitigation of pollution and other hazards.”

Involved in the removal operations were:

U.S. Coast Guard

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

TNT Salvage

MOBRO Marine, Inc.

Moran Environmental Recovery, LLC

Logan Diving and Salvage

Currently, 1,541 displaced vessels have been removed from Florida waterways by both private owners and Unified Command response teams. Nearly 230 people from state and federal agencies are involved in the disaster response.

The Unified Command for the response—officially titled Emergency Support Function 10 (ESF 10) Florida—consists of leaders from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The ESF 10 is the framework by which federal support is coordinated with state agencies in response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases following federally declared disasters. Partner agencies, including Florida Department of Environmental Protection, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, are contributing expertise and experience to the assessment and removal efforts.